Closure cap for glass containers



May 1, 1928. I 1,668,180

J. J. WILLIAMS CLOSURE CAP FOR GLASS CONTAINERS Filed Nov. 24. 1926 this general nature has sonar .r. wmuaus, or wnnaame,

cuss comm, orwnnnnme, memm.

PATENT OFFICE.

WEST VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR '10 HAZEL-ATLAS WEST VIRGINIA, A CORPORATION 01 WES]! CLOSURE 0A1 FOR GLASS CONTAINERS.

Application fled November 24, 1928. Serial No. 150,498.

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a vacuum seal cap embodying the invention; Fig. 2 1s a view in vertical section and on an enlarged scale taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 a nd showing the cap member placed in position on the open end of a glass container ofthe tumbler type'in readinessto be pressed into sealing relation thereto; Fig. 3 is a view similar tov Fig. 2 showing the cap member pressed into sealing relation to the tumbler; Fig. 4 is a view slmilar to Fig. 3 showlng the cap member applied to a container of the glass jar, as distinguished from the tumbler, type; Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing a sealing cap member of a modi- 'fied construction; and Fig. 6 is a view in side elevation of a portion of a tumbler and the method of applying the sealing cap thereto. r

My invention relates to caps or closure members of the type used in maintaining a vacuum seal in connection with food conate tainers formed of glass. A closure cap of been heretofore developed which is formed of relatively thin sheet metal having a disc-like body portion and a depending annularflange for enclosing the open end of the jar or tumbler to which the closure member is feature of this structure resides in a constriction of the lower edge of the annular flange so as to' form between the constricted portion and the disc or body portion of the cap an annular seat in which a rubber gasket is received. In order to facilitate the placing of the cap in position on a food container without forcing the asket out of its seat, a beveled or inclinef edge is provided on the lower and inner angle of the gasket. This structure is supposed to assist incausing the gasket to move into position in circumscribm relation to the open end of the container, ut in actual practice the gaskets frequently buckle and are forced from'their. seat in the cap ing operation. In order to overcome this 0 jectionable feature of prior cap structures, I'have provideda cap memr having a. similar general organization of structure with-the additionthat an annular seat or groove is rovided in the under side. of the disc orbod member of the cap immediately adjacent to its circumferential This seat. or groove serves to receive the pp a cannot be 'bler.

the cap. By reason applied. A

of the gasket member and to hold the gasket member in its place in the groove, provided for the purpose in the annular flange member. With this construetion I have found that the gasket is retained in position during capping operations and buckled or forced inwardly out of the annular position in which it is placed until the gasket has been moved into -e'ncltkin relation to the container top.

fact that the seat, which is thus provided for the upper edge of the gasket, is of a temporary nature only and serves to hold the gasket in position until the ca has been. placed in capping relation to a pr or tum- In other Words, the pressure which is exerted on the cap member to force it into position terminates in the disappearance of the gasket holding seat by reason of the pressure exerted by the upper edge of the container against the cap member immedily adjacent the inside edge of the annular seat formed in the disc'or body. portion of of the gasket holding seat thus provided I am enabled to do away with the beveled or inclined edge on the gasket member itself with the result that the whole inner superficial areav of the gasket eature of the invention resides in the is rendered available to produce the maximum contact with the outer surface of the container and thereby produce the most effective sealing action.

My invention also comprises various other features which I shall hereinafterdescribe and claim.

Referring to the drawings for a more detailed description of the invention, a vacuum seal cap member 10 is shown which is formed preferably of relatively thin sheet metal, the body portion having a substantially flat or disc-like formation as at 11 provided with a circumscribing depending annular flange member 12 which occupies an enclosing relation to the end portion of the mouth of the tumbler or jar when the cap is in sealing relation thereto. The lower portion of the flange member 12 is constricted as at 13,;that is, the portion 13 has a less diameter than that of the flange member proper 12. A shoulder 14 is'thus provided which forms in turn a lower edge or extremity for a recess or'seat 15 provid d by the inner surface of the flange member 12; The seat 15 is adapted to receive a gasket member 16 which is formed of rubber or other suitable material to provide sealing contact with the outer surface of the tumbler 17 when the cap is pressed into closing relation thereto.

The gasket member-16-has an annular and cylindrical conformation so that the inner. surface thereof for the full width of the cylinder will have sealing contact or engagement with the outer wall surface of the container with which it is used. It has been found that cap members provided with gaskets of the type shown and described can be placed in sealing relation to the mouths of the containers only with difiiculty because of the pronounced tendenc poseessed by the gasket member to buc le inwardly and be displaced from its position in contact with the inner surface of the flange 12 during the capping operation.

In order to overcome this objectionable feature of capping or sealing operations, I have provided means for preventing the buckling of the gasket member from its seat during the operation of pressing the cap member into closin relation to the mouth of the container. This means takes the form of a groove or seat 18 provided in the under face of the body portion of the cap member at its juncture with the depending flange member 12. The groove. or seat 18 thus provided is annular 1n conformation and has a width such thatthe upper edge of the gasket member 16 fits therein and is accordingly held against radial inward movement under the buckling action tending to be produced by the pressure of the upper edge of the jar or tumbler against the lower edge of the gasket in the capping operation.

The seat 18, which is thus provided for engaging and holding the upper end of the gasket and thereby preventing the buckling of the gasket from its prinicpal seat 15, is made use of only before and during the capping operation, the pressure of the ca ping tool 25 operating to remove the holding seat 18 from the cap structure as the cap is forced into sealed relation to the container. This results, as will be seen by a comparison ofFigs. 2 and 3 of the drawings, in the elimination of the seat 18 in the cap structure in the fina'l position of the. cap member shown in Fig. 3. The

elimination of the seat 18 is effected by the pressure exerted by the outer edge of the container 17 a ainst the body ortion 11 of the cap mem er immediately a jacent the seat 18.

By this arrangement, I am enabled to.

utilize the holding seat 18 when the holding seat is needed, that is, during the capping operation. I am also enabled to utilize the full benefit of having the entire inner surface of the gasket member 16. occupy contacting relation with the outer surface of the container structure in-order to obtain the maximum benefit of the sealing function of the gasket member. It will be seen that the eliminationof the holding seat 18 provides for the engagement of the entire inner surface of the gasket (member with the container structure as isclearly shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing.

While a sealing cap of the type described is particularly adapted for use with containers of the tumbler type, such as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings, this cap is equally well adapted for use with containers of the jar type, such as is shown at 19 in Fig. 4 of the drawing. This type of container is provided with annular flange or rib members 20 and 21 in the portion enclosed by the flange 12 of the cap structure. In either form of the invention, the constricted portion 14 of the cap flange member 12 is so related to the container structure as to be spaced slightly therefrom when the cap occupies a sealing relation to the container, thereby providing for maximum pressure of the gasket member against the surface of the container to provide the re-' quired sealing effect.

In Fig. 5 of the drawing, there is shown,

a modified form of the invention in which the cap member 22 is provided with a reinforcing rib or head 23 on the outer surface of the flange member 24, this construction, so far as this particular feature of the cap member is concerned, following that shown in prior application, Serial No. 37,914, filed June 18tli,1925. It will be understood that the cap member shown in Fig. 5 is provided with a gasket holding seat 18 as in Fig. 2, the gasket having disappeared in the capping operation by which the cap 22 was pressed into sealing relation to the container 17 as shown in Fig. 5.

In both forms of the cap member shown, a vacuum seal is effected, suction being applied to a receptacle containing the jar in a known manner when the cap member is loosely laid on the top of the container as in Fig. 2. Following the exhausting or vacuum producing operation, the capping tool 25 is pressed downwardly to force the cap into sealing relation tothe container, the temporary holding seat 18 for the gasket disap caring during this operation, as has alreac y been described.

The terms and expressions which I have employed are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and I have no intention, in the use of such terms and expressions, of excluding anymechanical equivalents of the features shown and described, or portions thereof, but recognize that various structural modifications are. possible within the scope of the invention cl d What I claim is: 1'

1. In a vacuum closure structure, .fo tainers, a cap member formed of thin,

formable material, said cap comprising a top portion and a depending flange, an annular groove formed in the under side of the top portion adjacent said depending flange, and a gasket, the upper portion of which is adapted to be received and main-' tained in operative position by the walls of said groove during thesealing operation, the inner face of the flange and outer face of the container surrounded by said flange and the inner and outer faces of the gasket being substantially parallel to each other before and after sealing, the under face of the cap engaging the top face of the con tainer directy and the entire sealing surface being formed by theiengagement of the gasket against the plain exterior surface of the container. 2. In a vacuum closure structure for containers, a cap member formed of thin, deformable material, said cap comprising a top portion and a depending flange, an an-- nular groove formed on the under side of the top portion adjacent its periphery, and

a gasket, the upper portion of which is adapted to be received and maintained in operative position by the walls of said groove during the sealing operation, said groove being adapted to be deformed to the plane of the top portion during the sealing operation.

3. In a vacuum closure structure for containers, a cap member formed of thin, deformable material, said cap comprising a top portion and a depending flange, an annular groove formed on the interior of the top portion adjacent the periphery thereof, and a vertically arranged gasket adapted to be received and maintained in operative position by the Walls of said groove dur ing the sealing operation, said groove being adapted to be deformed to substantially the plane of the top' portion during the sealing operation. I

4. In a vacuum closure structure for containers, a cap member formed of thin, deformable material, said cap comprising a top portion and a depending flange, an annular groove formed in the top portion of the cap adjacent the flange, said groove being adapted to be deformed durin the sealing operation, and a gasket held in said groove during application and being adapted to lie wholly outside the exterior of a container.

5. In a vacuum closure structure, a cap member formed of thin, deformable material, said cap comprising a top portion and :1. depending flange, an annular groove formed in the interior of the top portion adjacent the flange, said groove bein adapted to receive the upper portion 0 a vertically arranged gasket, said groove bein deformable to move the gasket into fined sealing position.

being movable with relation to the top portion, during the sealing operation, to move thegasket to final sealing position.

7. The method of sealing a container with a cap which includes providing a cap of deformable material having a groove in its top portion and a gasket having one edge seated in said groove, placing the cap and gasket on the receptacle to be sealed, pressing the cap thereon, and flattening out a wall of the groove to move the gasket into final sealing position.

8. The method of sealing a container with a cap which comprises seatin a gasket in a groove provided in the top of a cap formed of thin, deformable material, placing the cap and gasket loosely on the receptacle, and pressing the cap on the receptacle and permanently deforming awall of the groove to move the gasket into final sealing position.

9. The method of sealing a container with a cap which comprises seating a gasket in a groove provided in the top of a cap formed of thin, deformable material, placing the cap and gasket loosely on the jar, extracting the air from the container, and pressing the cap' on the container and eliminating the groove.

10. The method of sealing containers which comprises seating a gasket in a groove provided in the top of a cap formed ofde formable material, and applying pressure to the cap to press simultaneously the cap on the container and flatten out a wall of the groove to move the ing position.

11. In a vacuum closure structure for congasket into final sealtainers, a cap member formed of thin, de-

formable material, said cap comprising a top portion and a depending flan e, an annular groove formed in the under side of the top portion adjacent said depending flange, and a gasket of initial as well as of substantially final rectangular cross-section, the upper portion of which is adapted to be received and maintained in operative position by the side walls of said groove during the sealin operation, the inner face of the flan e an outer face of the container surroun ed by said flange and the inner and outer faces of the gasket being substantially parallel to each other before and after sealing, the under face of the cap engaging the top face of the container directly and the entire sealing surface being formed by the engagement of the gasket against the plain exterior surface of the container.

JOHN J. WILLIAMS. 

